Fire-arm having automatic brace forthe breech-block



(No Model.)

' N. D. POLSOM.

FIRE ARM HAVINGAUTOMATIC BRACE FOR THE BREECH BLOCK. No. 357,660.Patented Feb. 15, 1887.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NOAH D. FOLSOM, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

FIRE-ARM HAVING AUTOMATIC BRACE FORTHE BREECH-BLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part cf Letters Patent No. 357,660, dated February15, 1887.

Application tiled November 8, 1886. Serial No. 218,337, (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, N oliH D. FoLsoM, acitizen of the United States,residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFire-Arms having Automatic Brace for the Breech-Block; and I do declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which i'orrn a part of this specification.

Figure l represents a Sectional side view of the arm, all parts in theirnormal condition.

Fig 2 represents a sectional side view'of the arm, the hammer atfull-cock; and Fig. 3, an end View of the guard-plate, showing dog a andhammer A.

This invention relates to an improvement in Spencer' magazine lirearms,in which the magazine is arranged longitudinally beneath thebarrel, and particularly to the arm known as the Spencer gum7 themechanism of which is operated by a slide provided with a handle forwardof the breech in a convenient position to be grasped by the hand andreciprocated in a path substantially parallel with the barrel.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple mechanism whereby thebreech-block, when in its closed position and the hammer cocked, will beautomatically locked, only to be released when the hammer is in its downposition; and the invention consists in the mechanism, as hereinafterdescribed, and re cited in the claim.

My invention is to be applied to the Spencer magazine fire-arm, in whichthe breechblock has a slight downward movement to receive the cartridgefrom the magazine, then is forced upward to place the cartridge in linewith the barrel, and at the same time cocking the arm. This is a toowell-known mechanism to require i'urther description in thisspecification.

After the barrel of the arm has been charged, the hammer atfull-coelr,and the breech-block in its normal position, it is necessarythat no accidental movement of the breech block should occur, as isliable to without being in some manner locked against accidentalmovement. As a preventive against such movement when the gun is ready tobe fired, I arrange on the hammer,near the pivot-,an automatic stop,which consists of a dog, a, hinged to the hammer A,and provided with aspring, b, the tendency ot' said spring being to force the dog forwardagainst a bearing-surface in the trame, as seen in the illustration, thenose of the dog projecting through an opening in the frame, and when inits forward position lies underneath the breech-block and prevents itfrom being moved toits rst downward position. This is the position ofthedog when the hammer is cocked.

When the arm has been tired and the hammer down, as shown in Fig. l, thehammer in that down position forces the nose of the dog upward and awayfrom the line of travel ot' the breech-block, as seen in Eig. l, therebygiving free action for the operation of the breech-block until thehammeris again cocked. NVhen the hammer is thrown down, it causes the nose ot'the dog to again press forward and come in the path ofthe breech-block.By this simple means ot' automatically locking the breech-block, asdescribed, a good result is obtained. It prevents any accidentalmovement ot' the breech-block when the gun is ready to be tired, whichis essential.

Having fully described my invention, I claim- In a magazine fire-arm ofthe character described,in combination with a movable breechblock,substantially as set forth, an automatic i stop consisting of a springdog hinged to the hammer, as described, the nose ot' said dog, when thehammer is in its cocked position, lying in the path of the breech-blockto prevent the downward movement, the hammer, when in the discharged ordownward position, forcing the nose ot' the dog out of the path of thebreech-block, all as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereofl aflix my signature in presence ot' two witnesses.

NOAH D. FOLSOM.

Witnesses:

THOMAS F. MCKIEENAN, ETHAN C. MILLER.

